Cinefamily, in Los Angeles, California at the Silent Movie Theater, is having a very special event to benefit the Betty Rowland Trust on March 9, 2010 at 9 PM.
"Betty Rowland was the first burlesque queen I met in person, in 1997. The first time we met, she told me that she had once sued my grandfather, Samuel Goldwyn, as part of a publicity stunt, for using her moniker for the title of his film Ball of Fire (1941). Betty had earned the nickname, 'Ball of Fire', during her bump-and-grind days in the late 1930s for her flaming red hair and rhythmic movements." —Liz Goldwyn, director of Pretty Things...
Decide for yourself on how strong Betty’s case was, and get to know her and the other Queens of Burlesque with this double feature! Pretty Things is a documentary on the last generation of American ‘Burlesque Queens’ as told by a young woman (Liz Goldwyn) searching to discover the lost art of burlesque dance. The film features Betty Rowland, Zorita, Sherry Britton and countless other Burlesque legends. Ball of Fire (also known as The Professor and the Burlesque Queen) is Howard Hawks' 1941 comedy about a group of professors laboring for years to write an encyclopedia, and their encounter with a nightclub performer who provides her own unique knowledge. Starring Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck, the film also boasts an amazing supporting cast: Oskar Homolka, Henry Travers, Richard Haydn, Dana Andrews, Elisha Cook Jr. and Dan Duryea.
Pretty Things Dir. Liz Goldwyn, 2005, 90 min.
Ball of Fire Dir. Howard Hawks, 1941, 111 min.
The Silent Movie Theater
611 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
